Trust takes membership into the fast lane

Heatherwood & Wexham Park NHS Trust, Berkshire, is addressing its duty to involve local people to the trust’s work with the appointment of a member management service whose other customers include groups of dedicated bikers and an upmarket car manufacturer.

Ion Group, which also supplies services to Audi, the Harley Owners’ Group and the Cyclists’ Touring Club, has been charged with providing an end-to-end service ranging from consultancy and registration to database management and fulfilment. Heatherwood & Wexham Park, which has gained the heath secretary’s support for its application to become a foundation trust,  has a 10,000-strong membership base, with predicted growth of 10% year-on-year.

Ion Group says it will deal with membership queries by telephone, mail and fax, manage the registration of new members through multi-media methods and manage communications with members including newsletter distribution. Ion will also manage the database, including full reporting measures and database cleansing.

Graham Ede, managing director, Ion Group commented: “The introduction of the NHS foundation trust will have a deep impact on the way hospital services are managed. Membership recruitment puts highly competitive pressures on foundation trusts and they need the kind of professional support common in the commercial world.

“Trusts will be able to establish stronger connections between hospitals and the communities they serve for the first time. We are therefore very pleased to be involved with implementing this important historic change.”